Article carrier for kite strings



March 6, 1962 w. c. CHRISTIAN 3,

ARTICLE CARRIER FOR KITE STRINGS Filed June 17, 1960 INVENTOR. 1 WILLIAM(C mmsrmu AGENT Unite States 3,023,988 ARTICLE CARRIER FOR KITE STRINGSWilliam C. Christian, 211 Wilden Drive, Towson, Md. Filed June 17, 1960,Ser. No. 36,959 2 Claims. (Cl. 244-155) The present invention relates tonew and useful improvements in article carriers for kite strings and hasfor its primary object to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth,a simply constructed, positively operated and inexpensive device forcarrying toy parachutes, or other objects, up a kite string by theaction of the wind, and which embodies article releasing means whichwill not jam or otherwise get out of order and is operative by a slightimpact against an abutment on the line of the kite string to release thearticles for descent in the air.

To the accomplishment of the above, and subordinate objects presentlyappearing, a preferred embodiment of my invention has been illustratedin the accompanying drawing, set forth in detail in the succeedingdescription, and defined in the subjoined claims.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective illustrating the application of thearticle carrier to a kite string and showing the article carrierreleasing a sail and parachute,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of my invention mounted on a kite string,

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional veiw taken substantially on theline 3-3 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4of FIGURE 3.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, it will be seenthat the present invention makes use of a kite 5 which may be of anysuitable type, and a kite string 6 extending from the kite body to aposition on the ground. Fixed to the kite string 6, as shown in FIG- URE3, is a stationary stop 7. The use of this stop 7 will be hereinafterexplained in detail.

The article-carrying and releasing device includes an elongated uprightU-shaped body frame 8 formed from a length of rod 8' having legs or endmembers 9 and 10. The free ends of the legs or end members 9 and 10 areformed with means for slidably mounting the frame 8 on a kite stringwhen the latter is in extended condition. This mounting means consistsin spirally wound hooking devices 13 and 14 adapted to receive thereinthe kite string, as at 6 in FIGURES 1 and 3.

Intermediate the ends of the legs or end members 9 and 10 and formedintegrally therewith are coils which serve as guide bearings 11 and 12,respectively. Welded or otherwise secured to the members 9 and 10 asshown at 15 and 16 is a tie rod 17 to provide proper spacing andreinforcement for the members 9 and 10 and to hold the aligned guidebearings 11 and 12 in proper alignment.

Suitably secured, as by welding or otherwise, to the rod 8,substantially at the rear end portion thereof is a rod 18 provided withdepending legs 19 and 20 terminating in coiled aligned slide bearings 21and 22 in a plane below the frame 8.

Secured to the tie rod 17 of the body frame 8 by welding or otherwise asat 23 is an inverted U-shaped guide frame 24 terminating at the lowerends of its leg portions 25 and 26 in guide bearings 27 and 28 in aplane below the frame 8. To provide further support for the invertedU-shaped guide frame 24 a rod 29 is welded or otherwise secured to theframe 8 as at 30 with its end portions secured to the legs 25 and 26 ofthe inverted U-shaped guide frame 24 as shown at 31 and 32 in FIGURE 2of the drawing. This inverted U-shaped guide frame 24 has its horizontalaxis at an angle other than 90 to the longitudinal axis of the bodyframe 8 and is spaced from an 3,623,988 Patented Mar. 6,. 1962 adjoiningsubstantially rectangular guide frame 33 and in a plane substantiallyparallel therewith.

The guide frame 33 is secured to the frame 8 as by welding or otherwiseto the tie rod 17 as shown at 34 and is further secured by a rod 35having its end portions attached to the guide frame 33 and itsintermediate portion welded or otherwise secured to the rod 8' at 36 asshown in FIGURE 3 of the drawing.

To propel the device on the kite string 6 a sail 37 constructed ofcardboard or other suitable materialis provided with a notch 38 toenable it to straddle the body frame 8 between the guide frames 24 and33, and holes 39 and 40 for the reception of spaced holding andreleasing means or prongs 41 and 42.

The holding prongs 41 and 42 are lateral spaced extensions of legs 43and 44 extending from a cross bar 45 which is welded or otherwisesecured as at 46 to an actuating means or shaft 47.

The actuating shaft 47 has an open loop 48 formed on its front endportion for releasable engagement about the kite string 6 and abuttingcontact with the stop 7 at its front end portion and then extendsrearwardly through the guide bearings 11 and 12 and is for-med with adownwardly directed portion 49 joined to a lateral finger 50 which isslidably engaged in the slide bearings 21 and 22.

A collar 51 is fixedly secured to the shaft 47 to limit the rearwardmovement thereof.

The operation of the invention is thought to be manifest but may bebriefly described as follows:

The assembly shown in FIGURE 2 is mounted on the kite string 6 While thekite 5 is aloft and is propelled up the kite string 6 by pressure of thewind against the sail 37. When the open loop '48 contacts the stop 7 itforces the actuating shaft 47 rearwardly to remove the holding prongs 41and 42 from the holes 39 and 40 in the sail 37 and also removes thefront end portion of the finger 50 from the slide bearing 21 as shown inFIGURE 1 of the drawing to release the sail 37 and a parachute, or othertoy carried aloft by the invention, and permit them to return to theground. After release of the sail 37 the article carrier then rides downthe kite string 6 by force of gravity.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suflice to impart a clearunderstanding of my invention, without further explanation.

Manifestly, the invention, as described, is susceptible of modificationwithout departing from the inventive concept, and right is hereinreserved to such modifications as fall within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a kite string having a stop thereon, an article carrier,comprising an upright U-shaped body frame, a spirally wound hook on thefree end of each leg of said U-shaped body frame for slidably mountingsaid U-shaped body frame upon a kite string in extended condition, afirst guide frame arranged in an upright position transversely of thebight of said U-shaped body frame and fixedly secured thereto, a secondguide frame arranged in tandem spaced relation relative to said firstguide frame and fixedly secured to said U-shaped body frame bight, anupright fiat sail having laterally spaced openings therein and providedwith a notch extending inwardly from the upper edge thereof andterminating substantially at the midpart of said sail, said sail beingpositioned within the space between said first and second guide frameswith the bight of said U-shaped body frame loosely received in said sailnotch, spaced prongs engageable in said laterally spaced openings forreleasably holding said sail in said space, and actuating meansoperatively connected to said spaced prongs aotuable to shift the latterto the release 3 position responsive to engagement of said actuatingmeans with said kite string stop.

2. For use with a kite string having a stop thereon, an article carrier,comprising a U-shaped body frame having end members, a spirally woundhooking device at the free end of each end member of said U-shaped bodyframe for slidably mounting said U-shaped body frame upon a kite stringin extended condition, a tie rod secured to and between said end membersof said U-shaped body frame, a first guide frame arranged in an uprightposition transversely of the U-shaped body frame and fixedly secured tosaid U-shaped body frame and said tie rod, a second guide frame havingguide bearings formed therein arranged in tandem spaced relationrelative to said first guide frame and fixedly secured to said U-shapedbody frame and said tie rod, an upright fiat sail having openingstherein and provided with a notch extending inwardly from the upper edgethereof and terminating substantially at the midpart of said sail, saidsail being positioned within the space between said first and secondguide frames with the U-shaped body frame loosely received in said sailnotch, spaced prongs mounted in said guide bearings of said second guideframe for engagement in said holes in said sail, and actuating meansoperatively connected to said spaced prongs actua ble to shift thelatter to the release position responsive to engagement of saidactuating means with said kite string stop.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,211,896 Thomas Ian. 9, 1917 2,041,233 Cutshall May 19, 1936 2,469,449Baskin May 10, 1949- 2,522,422 Wolf Sept. 12, 1950

